


A terrible proposal

by thursdayknight



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Soft boys being soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 07:27:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20756600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thursdayknight/pseuds/thursdayknight
Summary: "Please stop acting like you don't know that I'd marry you if I could," Steve says, voice all haughty with the expression to match, which is good, because he knows he's never actually said that out loud before and internally, he's freaking out. A lot. Like a lot a lot.Billy's confusion melts into a proper smile and he says, "Yeah? Well that'd be a terrible proposal."





	A terrible proposal

"I'm not a good person," Billy says and for a split second all Steve feels is sad, but that feeling is quickly replaced by something else - rage. He's suddenly furious and it takes him actual effort not to slap Billy across the face. 

"No," he says instead, "You weren't. Past tense." 

"I can't undo the things I did," Billy says. "What I said." 

"You're not that person anymore." 

"Yes, I am. You have no idea how hard it is for me to - how often I still think..." Billy trails off, looking more lost than Steve ever wants him to be. 

He grabs Billy's face with both hands, wants to shake him, wants to scream and to call him names. Instead he just breathes, just stands there and stares at him for a moment. 

"You don't understand," Billy says brokenly and something in Steve cracks. 

"No, _ you _ don't understand," he says. He rubs his thumb against Billy's cheek and notices the way Billy closes his eyes and leans into the touch. _ Good,_ he thinks. _ Maybe that means he'll listen. _

"You're not that person anymore. You might still - you're still an angry motherfucker, you still get arrested for getting in fights, sure, but... last time you got arrested it was for punching a cop. At a protest. That's not the same thing as getting into a bar fight." 

"I..." Billy trails off after one word but he doesn't need to say it. This is a conversation they've had a million times before and at this point Billy's next argument is always some variation of, _ But, Max. _

"Max has forgiven you and in case you've forgotten, we can call her. She knows Neil is a piece of shit and that you were a teenager and..." Steve blows out a breath. "And... you were treated like garbage so you treated her like garbage. She knows." Just like Steve knows the words "treated like garbage" are an understatement. He knows the real word is "abused". But even though they've had this conversation a million times before, he's never been able to actually say the word. 

Billy comes back with, "I don't know why you care," and ducks out of Steve's hold. He turns around to face their dingy kitchen wall, arms wrapping around himself defensively.

"One, yes, you do," Steve says, grabbing Billy by the shoulder and turning him around. He'd say it's forcefully, but it isn't. After all this time Billy still believes the things he says, but there are starting to be cracks in the foundation of that belief. Like Billy used to say things like that and then not just turn away but flee the room. Any time they fought he used to get into his car and drive away as far and as fast as possible. Then he graduated to just turning away and it taking hours to get him to open up again. Now he turns away but it doesn't take much to get him to turn back around, almost like that's what he wants. It's almost like he's asking for help. Almost. And Steve can work with that, can exploit it until it's something Billy can say in actual words. 

"And two," he says, his other hand coming up to rest on Billy's other shoulder. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know why, so I'm sorry, but you're stuck with me." 

A look crosses Billy's face that's just a little too confused to be a smile. "Did you just say "the rest of your life"?"

Steve rolls his eyes and huffs - he can't help it. "Please stop acting like you don't know that I'd marry you if I could," he says, voice all haughty with the expression to match, which is good, because he knows he's never actually said that out loud before and internally, he's freaking out. A lot. Like a lot a lot.

Billy's confusion melts into a proper smile and he says, "Yeah? Well that'd be a terrible proposal." 

Steve snorts. "And what? I suppose you'd be expecting flowers? Violins? Poetry?" 

Billy bites his lip but it does nothing to stop the smile spreading from his lips to the rest of his face. "Who do you think I am? Some high school chick who melts at the sight of your perfect hair?" Billy reaches out and flicks a strand of Steve's aforementioned "perfect" hair out of place. He laughs.

"Secretly?" Steve says. "Yeah, you totally were." 

Billy's eyes go wide in mock horror for a moment before he shrugs. "Whatever. My hair was better anyway. Is better," he says. 

Steve pretends to give him a once over. He's cut it much shorter since high school but he can't argue. It _ is _ better. Or maybe he just loves it more. "Hmm..." he says, "How about we call it a tie?" 

Billy laughs. "Sure."


End file.
